Name: Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 kg flank steak; 1 onion; 1 carrot; 3 bay leaves; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 bell peppers; 4 cloves garlic; 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 cup green olives; 2 tbsp capers; to taste salt and pepper; to serve white rice

Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)

Tender shredded beef simmered in a sweet peppery tomato sauce.

Prep

15 min

Cook

135 min

Total

150 min

Active

30 min

Serves

Difficulty

Medium

Cuisine

caribbean

Servings6

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Steps

Simmer the flank steak with the halved onion, carrot, and bay leaves in enough water to cover, for 1.5-2 hours until fork-tender.
Remove the beef and let it cool slightly, then shred it into strips with two forks. Strain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Heat the olive oil and cook the sliced onion and bell peppers for 7-8 minutes until soft.
Add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in the shredded beef, reserved cooking liquid, olives, and capers. Simmer 20 minutes until thickened and flavorful.
Season with salt and pepper and serve over white rice.

Food safety Cook beef to a safe internal temperature during the initial simmer.